Rafiad Ruhi
The Readymade Garment (RMG) and textile industry relies heavily on water at every stage of production, making it one of the most water-intensive and environmentally damaging industries in the world. From growing cotton—where it can take up to 10,000 liters of water to produce just 1 kilogram—to yarn spinning, fabric preparation, dyeing, washing, and finishing, the demand for freshwater is relentless. The most water-consuming phase is wet processing, which includes desizing, scouring, bleaching, dyeing, and finishing, with dyeing alone using between 30 to 150 liters of water per kilogram of fabric. In countries like Bangladesh, India, and China—key players in global textile exports—textile factories extract billions of liters of groundwater annually, contributing to severe water table depletion and competition with agricultural and domestic needs.
Groundwater in Dhaka, for instance, is declining by 2–3 meters each year due to unchecked industrial use. Alongside consumption, the industry is also a major source of pollution, discharging chemically-laden wastewater into rivers, often without adequate treatment, contaminating ecosystems and harming communities. Heavy metals, dyes, solvents, and microfibers from these effluents degrade water quality and pose long-term public health risks. Despite the environmental toll, many factories bypass proper effluent treatment plants (ETPs) to cut costs, and regulations are often poorly enforced. As global demand for fast fashion grows, so does the environmental footprint, leading to a situation where water scarcity and pollution threaten not just local communities but the industry’s own future. However, solutions exist, and water reuse is one of the most impactful strategies.
A significant amount of the water used in textile operations can be collected, cleaned, and recycled. One important answer is the Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) system, which assures that all wastewater is cleaned, cleansed, and reused, with no liquid waste released into the environment. ZLD separates solid waste and recovers pure water by a mixture of filtering, evaporation, and crystallization.
Despite the initial cost, it significantly reduces water usage and eliminates water pollution. Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) systems are another increasingly common method for removing colors, salts, and other compounds from wastewater. These systems combine biological treatment with advanced filtration (such as reverse osmosis or ultrafiltration). These systems enable the reuse of water in operations such as washing, dyeing, and even steam generation for boilers. Some firms have achieved up to 90% water reuse using MBR and comparable technologies. Furthermore, rainwater collection devices can augment water requirements and lessen reliance on groundwater, particularly in monsoon-prone areas.
Recycling doesn’t stop at treatment plants. Internal water loops—where water from rinsing or cooling stages is captured, filtered, and redirected for similar tasks—can significantly reduce consumption even without full-scale recycling infrastructure. For example, slightly contaminated rinse water can be reused in the first wash cycle of the next batch. Heat recovery systems can also extract thermal energy from wastewater, reducing energy and water costs simultaneously. In some cases, natural treatment systems, like constructed wetlands or bio-remediation tanks, offer low-tech, low-cost options for small and medium enterprises to treat and reuse greywater. To enable widespread adoption of these practices, government support in the form of financial incentives, subsidies, or tax breaks is essential, especially for small-scale factories that can’t afford capital-heavy infrastructure. Policies mandating water audits, metering, and disclosure of water footprints can also push the industry toward greater accountability.
Global fashion brands play a pivotal role here—they can require their suppliers to meet strict water recycling standards as part of procurement contracts. Some already do: Levi’s, for instance, uses a “Water<Less” program to promote closed-loop water systems and has partnered with suppliers who recycle nearly all their process water. Beyond compliance, water reuse should become a competitive advantage—factories that achieve high levels of water efficiency not only save money in the long run but also gain access to international buyers seeking sustainable partners. Consumers, too, must understand that water isn’t just a number in a report—it’s embedded in every product they wear. Choosing brands with verified water stewardship practices, supporting recycled textiles, and reducing fast fashion consumption can reduce pressure on water-intensive production.
Finally, the RMG and textile industries must abandon the obsolete linear model of take-use-dump and transition to a circular water economy in which reuse is the norm rather than the exception. Water is no longer plentiful, inexpensive, or clean, and the hidden cost of every t-shirt and pair of jeans is borne by ecosystems and communities in manufacturing zones. Unless water reuse and recycling become key to operations, the industry risks not only environmental disaster but also economic insecurity, since production becomes unfeasible in water-stressed areas. The technology exists, the pressure is palpable, and responsibility is shared—from factory floors to global boardrooms to consumer closets.
